Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

I guess they had to take advantage of the positive press before the Medicare apocalypse rears its ugly head.

The problem, affectionately dubbed the Medicare Drug Plan "Doughnut Hole", is a critical flaw in the plan's structure.

"once patients spend $2,250 on drugs, their coverage ends, and they must pay for their medicine themselves. Their benefits resume only after they shell out $5,100 -- a $2,850 gap. Although policymakers were aware of the doughnut hole when they passed the law, many seniors are stunned." Many will "stumble into the gap in late summer or early fall -- just before the November elections. This could be bad news for Republicans, who pushed the Medicare drug law."

More dramatically, the issue will be a media darling in pre-election months -- regardless of how many individuals are actually affected.

Strategically, the issue could be used to target specific congressional candidates, for example, in Connecticut, Nancy Johnson, an architect of the Medicare prescription drug plan, could be in trouble if seniors decide it isn't working.